Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Overnight Forecast Discussion: April 4, 2012

Hotspot tonight: Southeast
A couple storm systems connected by frontal boundaries will be progressing eastward, provoking showers and thunderstorms across the Southeast into portions of the South Plains. As for severe weather, not much is expected due to the loss of daytime heating in the atmosphere. A cold front will be trailing behind the system, but the main frontal area will be way off in Texas, while the only part that may produce some showers will be just a small area in Louisiana.

Northwest
A storm system coming onshore will produce some mountain snows and rain in lower elevations. Winds will be gusty in the mountains as a cold front moves eastward. No severe weather is expected, but any major snows that fall may have an avalanche risk due to the gusty winds.

Northeast
Snow and rain showers will move through the region overnight. Nothing major is expected, but some slick roads could result from either form of precipitation.

Southwest
A high pressure system will be invaded by a storm system, though it will not be producing any precipitation as of yet. The South Plains should keep an eye out, however.

Forecast Discussion: April 4, 2012

Forecast Fronts and Precipitation
Forecast Severe Weather
Hotspot of the day: Southeast
As a storm moves eastward across the nation's midsection, a warm front will extend out ahead, bringing up warm, humid air ahead of the cold front that is the caboose of this system. As the cold front comes through, thunderstorms will begin to develop and may eventually become linear due to the classic cold front squall line set up with the lack of shear promoting significant supercells.

South Plains
Another system will be in tow of the first one, producing precipitation on its northwest side. I find that the lack of a warm and cold front in the area are damaging to any severe threat possible, thus the SPC labeled a 'see text' area.

Northwest
Another storm system will be coming ashore, bringing mountain snows to the region and rain to lower elevations. No severe weather is expected, but the presence of a cold front indicates a cool down is in the works.

Northeast
Some light snow and rain showers will be poking throughout the region. No major snow or rain accumulation is expected.

-Andrew